MPs who want a referendum on membership of the European Union are “right-wing
nationalists” who would bring "disaster" to Britain, Kenneth
Clarke has said.

The Justice Secretary, who is regarded as the most "europhile" Conservative Cabinet minister, said calls to consider withdrawing from the EU were "a dangerous irrelevance" to the economic crisis.

Backbench Tories retaliated and warned that most of the party’s MPs were in favour of an “in-out” referendum.

Mr Clarke’s launched his broadside after Ed Miliband signalled that he would consider whether Labour should throw its weight behind calls for the public to be given a vote on Britain’s place in Europe.

In an interview with Sky News, Mr Clarke said a referendum was “dangerous” and “irrelevant” to the task of addressing the eurozone debt crisis.

“I can’t think of anything more irrelevant to the present situation actually, nor personally can I think of anything more disastrous than the British leaving the European Union and deciding that now is the moment to take up splendid isolation alongside Iceland and others.

“I see there are some Tory backbenchers on the nationalist right still demanding a referendum on the EU,” he said. The Labour Party is considering joining the MPs “to embarrass the Government”, he added.

“That’s just one of those things we have to put up with.”

Eurosceptic Conservatives have been calling on David Cameron to agree to a referendum and 81 MPs defied Prime Minister’s orders last year to vote in favour of a plebiscite during a non-binding Commons debate.

Many backbench Tories were delighted by Mr Cameron’s use of Britain’s “veto” last December to block a new European “fiscal treaty”.

However, some have become increasingly dismayed at the turmoil in the eurozone and are believed to be considering fresh moves in Parliament to trigger a referendum on Britain’s EU membership.

“Ken Clarke is as wrong about a Europe referendum as he has been about a European single currency. He has been consistently wrong throughout his career,” he said.

“There is nothing vaguely nationalistic about wanting to give the people the final say over whether we remain in the EU.

“The alternative is that we leave those decisions to people like Ken, who stood on a platform with Tony Blair in the late 1990s demanding that we join the euro. Think what a disaster would have befallen us today.”

The Prime Minister is under growing pressure promise a referendum amid signs that he could be out-flanked on the issue by Labour.

Last week, Mr Miliband appointed Jon Cruddas, a Left-wing MP who backs a referendum, to oversee Labour’s sweeping policy review.

Mr Cruddas has promised to use all his influence in power to convince party leaders to support an “in-out” vote, arguing that the public deserve to have the final say.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Miliband declined to rule out supporting a referendum, arguing that “it’s a question for another day”.

According to a poll for two Sunday newspapers, Britain’s membership of the EU is an increasingly important subject for voters.

Almost half of the electorate – 46 per cent – would vote to leave the EU, compared with 30% who would support remaining in the union.

The ComRes survey, for the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror, showed that 26 per cent of Tories now say they would consider voting for the UK Independence Party.